Road grader attachment



July 9, 1957 c. E. GIFFORD ROAD GRADER ATTACHMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 27, 1953 y 1957 c. E. GlFFORD 2,798,315

' ROAD GRADER ATTACHMENT Filed March 27,- 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 62/7/72 5 [MP/W60 y 9, 1957 c. E. GIFFORD 2,798,315

' I ROAD GRADER ATTACHMENT Filed March 27, 1955 3 Sheets-sheet 3 IN V EN TOR. (2/7/70/1/ f 50 F050 VII/ ar:

United States PatentQ ROAD GRADER ATTACHMENT Clayton E. Gifford, Marion, Ohio, assignor to The Huber Manufacturing Co., a corporation of Ohio Application March 27, 1953, Serial No. 344,975 1 Claim. (Cl. 37-144 This invention relates to highway maintenance equipment. It relates more particularly to an apparatus for cleaning materialand smoothing the ground surface under a guard rail along a highway or road. This is especially of importance in connection with highways in hilly and mountainous areas where it is desirable to drain water to the side of the road, rather than to permit the water to follow the road and thereby cause erosion. However, this invention is not so limited, in that it may be employed in various types of surface leveling work.

It has been the practice in the past to manually shovel to remove and clean sod, dirt, gravel and debris from under guard rails. The hand shoveling method is naturally slow, tedious and expensive.

An object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which may be attached to a tractor type of road maintainer, thereby providing means for removing sod, dirt and debris from under .a guard rail;

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for cleaning under guard rails which may be attached to and employed with a tractor type of road maintainer, so that the road maintainer can move in a direction parallel to the guard rail or guard fence during the cleaning operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a side scraper apparatus which is easily controlled and efficiently operated.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pusher type'of scraper for cleaning and smoothing under a guard fence, which scraper may be moved outwardly from the tractor at various angles while the tractor moves in a direction parallel to the guard rail..

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the invention attached to a tractor type of road maintainer. V

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective View showing the blade portion of the invention engaging the ground in its retracted position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the blade portion of the invention in its retracted position and withdrawn from engagement with the ground.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the invention showing the invention attached to the maintainer blade mounting of a tractor type of road maintainer.

Figure 5 is a top elevational view of the invention in a retracted position.

Figure 6 is an end view of the tubular guides and piston cylinder portion of the invention.

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 7-7 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is .a fragmentary, side elevational view of the invention attached to the maintainer blade mounting of a tractor type of road maintainer.

Figure 9 discloses means whereby a locking pin portion Patented July 9, 1957 ICC 2 of the invention may be inserted and withdrawn from a U-shaped support of a tractor type of road maintainer.

Figure 10 is a rearview of a tractor type of road maintainer disclosing means by which an operator may control the functioning of the invention. This invention is adapted to be supported by and used with a road maintainer having a maintainer blade support. As shown in the drawings, a tractor 12 is provided with a substantially horizontal U-shaped support having hollow legs 14 and 16 mounted on the under side of the tractor 12, as best shown in Figure 4. Means are provided by which the maintainer blade may be angularly disposed at various positions other than parallel to the axis of the rear wheels of the tractor. An elongate arcuate section 17, having a plurality of adjustment holes 19, is telescopically inserted into each of the legs 14 and 16. The elongate arcuate sections 17 inserted within the legs 14 and 16 are adapted to support a maintainer blade mounting. The under side of the tractor is also provided with a hydraulic cylinder 18 and a piston rod 20 mounted approximately midway between the legs 14 and 16. The end of the piston rod 20 is provided with attachment means for connecting to the center of a maintainer blade. A maintainer blade may be mounted upon maintainer blade supports 22 and 24. The body portion 25 of this invention may replace the maintainer blade mounted on supports 22 and 24 and the center of the body of the invention may be pivotally attached to the end of the piston rod 20, as by means of an arm 23. At the ends of the legs 14 and 16 of the U-shaped support member, pins 26 and 28 inserted within adjustment holes 19 lock the elongate telescopic members 17 inserted within the legs 14 and 16 into a desired position.

The pins '26 and 28 may be remotely operated by means of the device disclosed in Figure 9. An operating handle 30, located among the operators controls, may be actuated to withdraw the pin 26 from an adjustment hole 19 at the end of the leg 14. Likewise, an operating handle 32, among the operators controls, through a linkage as shown in Figure 9, may be operated to withdraw the pin 28 from an adjustment hole 19 at the end of the leg 16. With the pin 26 withdrawn, the telescopic section 17 may be moved with respect to the leg 14 and thus the support 22 may be moved outwardly with respect to the leg 14. This movement may be actuated hydraulically by thrusting forwardly the arm 23 by means of the piston rod 20 at the center of the body portion 25 to pivot the body portion 25 about the pin 28.

'At either side of the tractor is mounted an upwardly extending cylinder 34, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Piston rods 36 of the cylinders 34 support the ends of the legs 14 and 16, so that movement of the piston rods 36, operated by the hydraulic system of the tractor, will change the height of the ends of the legs 14 and 16, thereby changing the height of the supports 22 and 24. The body portion 25 of this invention includes rigid supporting arms 38 and 40. The arms 38 and 40 are adapted to be attached to the maintainer blade supports 22 and 24. The arms 38 and 40 support three elongate parallel cylinder members 42, 44 and 46. Cylinder member 44 comprises a hydraulic cylinder having hydraulic system connections 48 and 50 consisting of orifices with associated attachments and fittings near the ends of the cylinder 44. A piston rod 52 is inserted within the cylinder 44 and extends therefrom. At the end of the piston rod 52 a scraper blade support, described below, is mounted. Immediately above and below the end of the piston rod 52 are supported two horizontal plates 54. The horizontal plates 54 extend outwardly from the sides of the piston rod 52 and terminate in acute angular portions 55.

The cylindrical members 42 and 46 consist of hollow tubular members having telescopically inserted therein guide rods 56. At the ends of the guide rods 56, immediately above and belowthereof, are welded the horizontal plates 54. Immediately above and below the horizontal plates 54 are Welded flat'rectangular plates' 58. Orifices are providedat the center of the, horizontal plates 54 and at the center of the flat horizontal plates 58'providing means for insertion of a bushing 60 and a pin 62 at the end of the piston rod 52, as shown in Figures 5. and 7. Attached at the edges of the'plates 54' and 56 are braces 57 which also act as covers over the opening between the upper and lower horizontal plates 54. As a result of these rigid attachments, the horizontal plates 54 and 58 are firmly attached at the ends of the piston rod 52 and the guide rods 56.

Rigidly attached to the horizontal plates 54 is a vertically disposed elongate backing plate 64 which is slightly arcuated and adapted to support a scraper blade 70, as best shown in Figure 7. The scraper blade 70 is bolted to the backing plate 64 by means of bolts 66 having nuts 68. The backing plate 64 extends nearly the length of the blade 70 and has approximately the same width as the blade 70. Therefore, it may be understood that the blade 70 is rigidly and firmly mounted and attached at the end of the piston rod 52 and the ends of the guide rods.56. The blade 70 may be moved outwardly by means of hydraulic actuation of the piston rod 52 in a direction outwardly from the cylinder 44. Hydraulic'fluid may be forced through the orifice 50 of the cylinder 44 to move the scraper blade 70 outwardly from the tractor,'or hydraulic fluid may be forced through the orifice 48 of the cylinder 44 to move the blade 70 inwardly toward the tractor. The hydraulic fluidmay be carried to the hydraulic cylinder 44 by means of flexible tubular members 72, shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Also'attached' to the backing plate 64 are shoe members 74. Each shoe 74 has a leg 75 bolted to the backing plate 64 by means of'bolts 77. The shoes 74 are adapted to slide over the surface of the ground as the scraper 70 is moved inwardly and outwardly from the side of the tractor. The shoes 74 aid in supporting the blade 70 and its mounting elements at the end of the piston rod 52 and the guide rods 56 when the piston rod 52 is extended to its extreme position. The shoes 74 also alleviate the tendency of the scraper blade 70 to dig too deeply into the surface of the'soil as the blade 70 is moved outwardly from the tractor.

Due to the fact that the arms 38 and 40, which support the cylindrical members 42, 44 and 46, are mounted upon the pivotal maintainer blade mounting of the tractor, the body portion 25, when replacing a maintainer blade, may also be pivoted by means of the hydraulic cylinder 18 and piston rod 20. The blade 70 may be moved outwardly at the side of the tractor at various angles, as

disclosed in Figure 4, and the blade 70 may also be.

raised or lowered in elevation with respect to the surface of the ground by means of'hydraulic cylinders 34 and piston rods 36, as disclosed in Figures 2 and 3.

The scraper blade 70 is comparatively short, enabling it to pass between two adjacent posts of a guard fence, as shown in Figure 1. During an operation of cleaning between posts, as shown, the forward movement of this vehicle is usually stopped momentarily while the blade is moved between the posts and under the guard fence and retracted. Therefore, it may be understood that this invention may be readily used in cleaning the surfaces of the ground under guard rails or in leveling other surfaces while the tractor maintainer vehicle moves along the surface of the road parallel to the guard rail or guard fence.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described. my invention, I claim:

In a scraper for cleaning the soil beneath a highway guard rail and the like, a vehicle having a frame, attachment means horizontally carried by the frame and reciprocally movable in a substantially vertical direction, means for movement of said attachment means, a plurality of arms connected to the attachment means, a pair of elongate hollow tubular members arranged in parallel relation and attached to the arms normal thereto, a pair of connectors, there being a connector attaching the tubular members one to-the other adjacent the ends thereof, a hydraulic motor disposed intermediate the tubular members parallel therewith and attached to the connectors, the hydraulic motor having a piston rod reciprocally extendable therefrom in alignment therewith, a pair of-attachment plates, the attachment plates being connected to the piston rod paralel therewith at opposite portions thereof adjacent the end thereof, an arcuate backing plate rigidly attached to the attachment plates normal thereto and at the end of the piston rod, a scraper blade firmly attached to'the arcuate backing plate, a pair of guide rods, there being a guide rod slidably movable within 'each'of said tubular members and extendable therefrom, each of the guide rods having an end attached to the attachment plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,206,283 Jacobs et al. July 2, 1940 2,334,323 Gilbert Nov. 16, 1943 2,348,796 Ferwerda et a1 May 16, 1944 2,375,912 Gilford et al May 15, 1945 2,559,816 Alexander July 10, 1951 2,611,196 Barrett et al Sept. 23, 1952 2,624,132" Henry Jan. 6, 1953 2,626,470 Cook et al. Jan. 27, 1953 2,629,944 Arps Mar. 3, 1953 2,630,746 Thompson" Mar. 10, 1953 2,709,859 'Pilch June 7, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 663,494 Great Britain Dec. 19, 1951 

